Hometeam: No. 1 Algonquin holds off No. 2 Wachusett

Top-ranked Algonquin Regional knew the run was coming, but Tomahawks coach Brian Doherty was confident his team would find a way to hold on to defeat No. 2 Wachusett Regional. He was right.

By Steve Farley CORRESPONDENT

Top-ranked Algonquin Regional knew the run was coming, but Tomahawks coach Brian Doherty was confident his team would find a way to hold on to defeat No. 2 Wachusett Regional.

He was right.

With Algonquin clinging to a two-point lead after Mountaineers senior guard Zack Berman buried a college-range 3-pointer, Tomahawks senior captain Brad Canova scored six straight points to give his team breathing room.

Algonquin went six consecutive possessions without scoring a point but held on to defeat Wachusett, 59-52, to claim at least a share of the Midland League A title and avenge its only loss of the season.

“It’s a statement win for the program, for the school, and for boys’ basketball,” Doherty said. “I’m really proud of these kids. They really earned it.”

“It’s a huge win,’ said Canova, who scored 14 points. “One of our goals coming into this season was to win the league. With this win, we at least clinched a share of it.”

Despite the No. 1 ranking, sophomore guard Michael Stamas, who sealed the victory with two free throws with 3.9 seconds left, said his Tomahawks aren’t feeling any pressure.

“We try not pay attention to that,” said Stamas, who scored 17 points. “We just want to win the last game (at the DCU Center).”

Algonquin (17-1, 9-1 Midland A) led by as many as 15 points in the first half and 31-20 at halftime, but Berman and backcourt mate Jesse Maresca caught fire for Wachusett in the second half. Berman and Maresca combined for 46 points.

Berman (26 points) put the Mountaineers (15-3, 8-1) on top, 44-43, with a sweet turnaround jumper with 7:11 to play, but Algonquin scored six straight points on a short pop by Stamas, a jumper by A.J. Brodeur (17 points), and two free throws by Stamas to make it 49-44 with 5:19 remaining.

Wachusett cut it to 49-47 on Berman’s 3-pointer from the top of the key with 4:38 left, but the aggressive Canova took over, scoring three straight field goals underneath the hoop. His shot off the glass with 2:49 left gave Algonquin a 55-47 lead.

“The shots just came to me, and I was able to hit them,” Canova said. “We have a really balanced offense. We have five guys out there all the time that are able to score. They’re a really good team. We expected them to make a run, and we just knew we had to stop it, and we had to respond with a run of our own.”

“He’s a captain for a reason,” Doherty said. “He’s our only captain. I told him in the locker room (before the game), ‘You’re a senior captain. Step up and have fun.’ And he did.”

Maresca’s layup sliced the deficit to 55-49 with 1:09 remaining. Algonquin went 2:39 without scoring a point, but got four late free throws around Berman’s 3 to hold on for the victory.

The Tomahawks were clutch from the line, going 19 for 24, though they did miss a couple from the line in the final 30 seconds.

“We knew we’d have to punch them in the face after they punched us in the face,” Stamas said.

“We made a nice comeback, but you can’t spot a great team like that,” Mountaineers coach Tom Gibbons said. “We spent so much energy and so much emotion in the third period. I don’t know if we ran out of gas. To our kids’ credit, we responded, but it wasn’t enough,”